The Last Song
by Momo Aria
Summary: Miku, a professional pianist in her job, is given a special task by a mysterious girl: to perform the final song written by a man no longer wanted in their society. One-shot. First prompt challenge.


_Hello everyone! Today I post another one-shot, and this is a different kind. Not different as in "I finally write something that isn't Vocaloid" because... I don't need to explain._

 _Last Christmas, I was given a book of writing prompts, used to help me with my writing since I'm in school for Creative Writing. Very recently, I finally found time to use the book, and the very first prompt I wrote has led to this story I'm sharing now._

 _I will be posting my writings for these writing prompts on both Fanfiction and AO3. In AO3, I'll be posting it all as one fanfic entitled "A Series of Prompts," but on here, I'll post all challenges separately as their own story._

 _The first prompt: A Strange Request at the Piano Bar_

 _Enjoy~_

* * *

It wasn't often when Miku would receive such an unusual request, a request she was challenged to perform by the time of the carnival's next arrival. She sighed as she contemplated the situation she put herself in and why she had agreed to this in the first place. Of course she wouldn't refused. She had never refused a request to perform music in the bar she played in. Every customer and even her employees asked her to perform, and she obliged.

She loved to perform after all, but she had never been asked to perform a song created from the unwanted. The other players in the piano bar had their rules to never play the songs performed by the formerly famous Camui, and when Miku was first recruited as the new piano player, she was given strict warnings to never play music from Camui.

It made sense to Miku after she heard the basics of the controversy revolved around him, but she had made an agreement to perform the last song he had written on the night the carnival would begin, which was set to happen in the next month. Fortunately for her, Miku was given an address to visit the stranger who left the peculiar request, along with the song entitled "Miki's Lullaby." Not wanting to bring it up to her companions in the piano bar, Miku decided, two mornings after accepting the request, to seek out the person and understand the reason behind the request.

* * *

The apartment building had quite an odd appearance, looking rusted and vines all over. Strangely enough, there was still a family living inside the seemingly abandoned building. Seeing the elevators were no longer running, Miku succumbed to climbing up flights of stairs until she reached the highest floor of the building, the tenth floor. She found the door number written in her address, and when she knocked, a quiet voice alerted her to simply enter the apartment.

When she entered, the last thing Miku had expected was a beautifully furnished room inside an old, rusty building. Beautiful silk curtains, extravagant couches with creatively decorated pillows, and a table covered in laced sheets, all fine things made the apartment feel homey and comfortable. Miku began to speculate on who her mysterious requester was and the kind of person she could be.

Miku only recalled that the one who came to her with the unusual task was a young, petite woman who had concealed her face with a mask and kept her body hidden with a long jacket and the hoodie covering her head. Miku only knew the stranger had long red locks and eyes the same shade of red like her hair. Having gaped at the apartment long enough, Miku began to ponder if this stranger was a thief living in glory, or maybe a princess in hiding.

"I'm so glad to see you here," a soft yet firm voice broke Miku away from her train of thoughts, and she turned to see the one who came to her that night. The petite woman, no longer hiding her identity, stood nearby, dressed in a white Lolita dress with red lace and ribbons decorating it, and matching red shoes to compliment her outfit. Her long hair was left alone, the ends going past her waist, and her sweet smile sparkled with her red orbs. "Would you like water or tea? I also have juice," the strange girl began to offer. "Please, have a seat!"

Miku didn't have the chance to speak or even answer as the girl gave a quick twirl and left Miku alone in the room. With a gentle sigh, Miku accepted the kind offer and sat herself down on the cream-colored couch. Her purse was left lying next to her, and Miku couldn't keep her eyes from observing the gorgeous furniture around her. Her eyes soon turned to the photos on the table in front of her, and she noticed all of the framed pictures showed the same man, one Miku had heard of when she first came to town, the same man the piano bar refused to recognize for ten years.

"Here, ma'am," the young girl returned quickly, holding a tray of delicious meals. "I have macarons, cookies, cake, and tea here. If you aren't satisfied with tea, I can bring a cup of water if you please," she informed her so formally, yet so politely, and when Miku turned to her attention, she nodded with a smile of gratitude.

"Thank you," Miku finally spoke to her. "I wanted to speak to you about the request you have given me."

"Of course," the girl smiled and took a seat next to her. "I honestly suspected as much, which is why I gave you my address to come here," she began to explain. "You're the only one I can trust this task too."

"Oh?" Miku's eyebrows arched as she listened. "Is there a reason?"

"It's quite simple," the girl spoke calmly. "I wanted someone special to play the song, and I must be honest, I've been observing you and the other pianists for quite a long while in hopes of seeing who I think can perform the song best."

"And you chose me?" Miku asked, and the girl nodded. "But what makes me special? I'm no different from the other pianists."

"You're quite a unique individual," the girl began to explain. "You have only been in the bar for six months, they say, and you suddenly became a favorite among the crowd."

"Well," Miku's cheeks became tinted a pink color. Since arriving at the bar, Miku had done her best to ignore the ideas that she was very well liked. True, she had been praised consistently since her arrival, and it was due to her advanced talent in playing the piano that led her to be suddenly requested to become a pianist at the bar in the city. "I don't want to think of myself as 'unique,'" Miku tried to find the right words to explain.

"I'm sure they have asked you not to play Camui's music," the girl suddenly stated.

"Yeah," said Miku. "I never really heard of his music before," she admitted. "I still am unsure of what's happened besides what my colleagues say, and they sound so bitter when they speak of it."

"It's quite an interesting story," the girl replied. "But I do love his music and want to hear it again. I have no talent with the piano, so I would like to hear someone play the song on the night of the Carnival."

"I see," Miku said. "Well, ma'am…"

"No."

"No?"

"Please address me by my first name, Miki."

"Okay, Miki," Miku corrected herself. "Is there a specific reason to why you desire a song from Camui, even when you're aware of how the other pianists feel about him?"

"Have you seen the images on the table?" Miki asked.

"Yeah, I noticed you have pictures of Camui."

"Take a closer look at them."

Miku turned her attention back to the images, and she observed carefully. There was a picture of Camui at a performance, one with him signing an autograph, and many more with a woman with long pink hair. It wasn't until her eyes fell on the framed photo far to the left of the table when Miku found a picture of Camui in the same room she was in, and she noticed he held a small girl who appeared to be very similar to Miki, but she was much younger.

"You knew him personally?"

"Of course I knew my father personally."

* * *

Miku felt she shouldn't play the song for practice in the bar during broad daylight, even when Miki reassured her that the song was never published or played in public. Unless one was once a huge fan of Camui and had carefully observed his style in his music, no one would really know he had written the song Miku was asked to perform in the following weeks. Even then, Miku couldn't shrug off the feeling she was committing a crime.

Grabbing an apple left atop of a table in her apartment, Miku stepped out with the intention to take a quick walk around town. Normally, she would spend her free time practicing on the piano, but unable to push aside her troublesome thoughts, she wondered if going on a walk would help ease her thoughts.

Being outside in the afternoon, Miku noticed how busy the streets are and noticed a juvenile crowd amongst the streets. Children play. Adults gossip. It brought Miku back to life in the city she had grown up in, only to leave it all behind for what she considered a better life. She couldn't find joy as a pianist in the city, and she didn't hesitate to accept the offer of a job in this small, cozy town.

Growing used to the town she had lived in for six months, she had relaxed and found peace in the community, never realizing how deep a secret it was hiding in regards to the man known as Camui. As she observed the shops she passed by, she realized how forced the cheerfulness was in town, and she spotted remains of anything regarding the man hidden in the back of the alleys.

Miku wondered if, before the incident happened, his music was known throughout town. She was aware he was a citizen in this homely town, and quite a wealthy one she heard. Miki confirmed that he was a wealthy man, but due to circumstances, Miki had to be hidden for his safety as well as hers. Miki didn't say anymore than that, but Miku wasn't willing to pry into the situation. She was already confused enough.

All Miku understood was the man was a disgrace to the community, for reasons she was unsure of. She heard he robbed his family. She heard he scammed people out of their money. She heard he had an illegitimate child, thus committing adultery.

She continued to lament in her walk as the sassafras leaves fell on her. Upon seeing the green leaves, Miku knew she was coming close to her apartment, which was also where she worked. Upon arrival, she was given a free room to stay in, under the condition that she commit to her job. However, upon entering her apartment room on the top of the main floor, she found it wasn't empty like she expected.

"Did you go on a walk, Miku?" Sachiko asked, sitting on a chair inside the apartment. "I was thinking you were here practicing, and seeing you were gone, I assumed you would come back and chose to wait."

"Yes, ma'am," Miku spoke formally to her boss. "I decided to go on a walk, though it's only for today."

"Oh, it's okay, Miku!" Sachiko smiled. "You're not obligated to practice every day. It's good to practice, and you're very consistent in practicing, but every once in a while, it's nice to take a break, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Miku nodded. "Did you need something ma'am."

"Well, yes I did," Sachiko smiled. "I'm not sure how well you know the history of our nice town, but a very important guest is coming to our bar on the night the carnival comes," she explained. "Every night, the carnival is in town, and when it ends, people love to flock the bar as we play for the ones who run them. On that night, someone will be accompanying them, someone very special."

She paused, and Miku felt the tension growing more awkward and dark in her own home.

"If you haven't heard already, Camui was once a man we respected. He created all kinds of music for us piano players. When his crime was discovered, he was long gone." Sachiko sighed as she spoke. "The feeling of the community had the same taste as bitter alcohol after its oxidation occurred," she whispered coldly. "Even though he is wiped off our community, his ex-wife has continued to support us."

"Huh?"

Sachiko then noticed Miku's eyebrows arch in confusion.

"I should explain," Sachiko continued. "Camui was married to Megurine Luka, a woman who supported him thick and thin until the discovery was revealed," she explained. "She decided he would cease to exist in our town, but she promised to continue supporting us, under the condition that we never play his music again."

"I see," Miku nodded along to the information.

"It's such a shame, since he was such a talented musician," Sachiko sighed. "Luka has heard of you and decided she would come that night, so we decided that you'll be performing three songs. Since this is such short notice, you can replay any songs you want to play."

"Okay," Miku nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

Once again, Miku returned to the seemingly abandoned apartment where Miki resided in. Miku couldn't keep her curiosity aside and she began to ask how it all happened, and why Miki was hiding while Luka was out and about freely.

"It's quite simple," Miki began to explain. "I'm his daughter, but Luka isn't my mother."

"Adultery?" Miku suggested in confusion.

"Not exactly," Miki answered. "I was conceived the night before my father married Luka. He was very honest with me and stated he always wanted to be with me and my mother, but due to circumstances, he had to marry Luka. He meant to give me the full story on my eighteenth birthday…"

Miku noticed Miki slowly trailed off, and her face fell to a sad glance.

"He disappeared just days before that time could come," she explained. "He came a few days before and gave me a gift, and he told me he would tell me everything I need to know the next time he came to see me, but it never happened."

"I see," Miku sighed. "You want me to play this song you gave me," she noted. "I noticed the title, Miki's Lullaby."

"Yeah, he wrote it for me," she told me. "For my birthday, but I never got to hear it."

"I get it," Miku realized. "Okay," she smiled. "Will you be there that night?"

* * *

It wasn't long until the night came. Miku, along with her workers, participated in the events in the large and festive carnival, and Miku had enjoyed herself greatly. She received a great amount of relief, as well as a good distraction from her job for the night. On the walk home, she had almost sprained herself, realizing she had a job to do.

The bar that night was filled completely, and Miku had seen the biggest crowd yet in her career. When she took the stage, she noticed the elegant woman with long pink locks, sitting next to the man dressed finely. Miku knew they were important, and thus she must do her best for them.

The first song began, and Miku's fingers moved flawlessly as she performed for the entire crowd. As the applause died down when it ended, Miku smoothly began the second piece of music with little effort. Another success ended as the crowd applauded loud.

Then came the last song, and the two people in the center of the crowd were no longer her most important audience. Miku took a glance in the crowd and saw her, the girl who gave her the music, standing way in the back of the crowd, and she gave a small smile.

Miku placed her finger on the first key, and she hit it softly, beginning her last song.

* * *

 **AN: And the story ends. Please review, as I really appreciate feedback and criticisms. What did I do well? What should I do better? Also, as I do these challenges, I'll try to branch out and write fanfics for other fandoms and things I like. Thanks for reading!**


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